Rail-chair



1. B. ARENDS.-

RAIL CHAIR;

APPL-ICMION FILED MAR. 3, 1920.

Y 1,368,012, Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET ll TTORNEYS J. B. ARENDS.

RAH. CHAN?- APPU'CATWN man MR. 2, 1920.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

m u e A r M m J m u A ITO/M578 JAMES BENJIMAN ARENDS, OF ONIDA, SOUTH DAKOTA.

BAIL-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

Application filed March a, 1920. Serial No. 363,012.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. AnnNns, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Onida, in the county of Sully and State of South Dakota, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to rail joints, and more particularly to that type of rail joint known as a rail chair, the primary object of my invention being the provision of a joint of this nature which will eliminate the necessity of connecting bolts, and the usual difficulties encountered both in the application and removal of such bolts as well as the danger of loosening.

A further object is the provision of a rail chair which will effectively and efficiently support the joint between the rails and will allow for expanding and contracting move ment thereof.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my present invention and forming a part of this specification:

Figure 1 is a top plan view;

Fig. 2 is a side view looking at one side;

Fig. 3 is a similar view looking at the opposite side;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section;

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section;

Fig. 6 is a sectional perspective view of the chair, and,

Fig. 7 is a detailed perspective view of the wedge removed.

Referring now to these figures, my invention proposes a rail chair for the adjacent ends of rails 10 and 11, which chair has a base 12 forming a rail seat and provided with upright extensions 13 and 14 at opposite sides, the base 12 having laterally projecting spike receiving extensions 15 at the lower portions of the uprights 13 and 14, and having transverse reinforcing ribs 16, portions of which extend along the outer faces of the said uprights.

The upright 13 of the chair is of solid formation as will be noted particularly from Fig. 4, and has an inner vertical face 17 for engagement with the rail webs at one side, provided with rigid studs 18 projecting laterally therefrom for extension through slotted openings 19 in the rail webs. The upright 13 is also provided with an upwardly projecting rib 20 along its inner portion, which is adapted to engage beneath the heads of the rails at one side as seen in Fig. 4, andhas an undercut slot 21 in the plane of the upper surface of the base 12 to receive the base flanges of the rails at one side.

The other upright portion 14 has vertically spaced longitudinally beveled inner surfaces 22 and is provided between said surfaces with a lengthwise extending horizontally disposed groove 23, the beveled faces 22 being spaced from the inner surface 17 of the upright 13 to receive a rail engaging wedge.

The wedge which is generally indicated at 24, has outer lengthwise beveled and vertically spaced surfaces 25 for cooperation with the beveled surfaces 22 of the upright 14, and is provided with a lengthwise outer rib 26 which extends into the groove 23 of upright 14, this rib having a series of vertical apertures 27 extending longitudinally thereof, so as to receive a cotter pin or other locking member 28, as in Fig. 1, to abut one end of the upright 14 when the wedge 24 is driven tightly into wedged position between the upright and the rails. The inner portion of the upper surface of the wedge 24 extends beneath the rail heads opposite the rib 20 of upright 13, and the inner face of the wedge has upper and lower vertically spaced ribs 29 which engage the rail webs above and below the line of studs 18, so that with the lower surface of the wedge bearing upon the adjacent sides of the rail base flanges, it is obvious a solid connection is thus formed which will effec tively hold the joint, without the use of bolts and nuts, and will at the same time permit of lengthwise expanding and contracting movements of the rails.

It is further obvious that in placingthe rail chair in position, it is simply necessary for locking purposes, that the wedge 24 be driven firmly into place, and a cotter pin 28 extended through one of the rib openings 27 at the wide end of the upright 14, this operation being much more simple than the usual operation incident to the placing of bolts through fish plates and the tightening of nuts on the bolts with or without nut looking features. It is also obvious that removal or disconnection of the rail chair and the rail ends becomes a much more ready operation with my invention than that usually required in connection with the loosening and removal of connecting bolts, particularly where the bolts or other nuts have 7 locking means. 7

I claim A rail chair having a solid one piece body including a base forming a rail seatand provided with a pair of laterally spaced upright side extensions, each rectangular in cross section with an outer vertical surface approximately at right angles to its upper surface and the base, one of which extensions has an inner web "engaging face provided with a lengthwise series of laterally projecting studs, and is also provided with an undercut slot at its lower portion in the plane of the base, and the other of said side extensions having beveled inner faces and a groove between said faces, said body having transverse reinforcing ribs extending vertically along the said extensions thereof and continuously across the lower surface of the base and a wedge having lengthwise beveled faces to cooperate with the inner beveled faces of the last mentioned side extension and having a rib slidable in the groove between said faces, and means for securing the wedge in position.

JAMES BENJIMAN ARENDS. 

